In commercial airplanes, passengers often use the seat backs to support themselves when walking about the airplane cabin. Government regulations require that if passenger seat backs do not provide a firm handhold, then there must be a handhold grip or rail along each cabin aisle to enable passengers to steady themselves while walking in the aisles.
To provide this support, the Federal Aviation Administration has required that the seat backs be located behind each other no more than a distance of sixty inches when in the fully upright position. However, for some of their larger commercial airplanes, the airlines have requested the capability to increase the fore-to-aft distance between seats (particularly in the first class section of the airplane) so that the seat backs are spaced apart a distance greater than sixty inches when in the fully upright position. In addition, some airlines have requested the capability to allow the seats to fully recline. However, when the seats are in the fully reclined position, the seat backs are not available for use by the passengers to steady themselves when walking about the cabin. In order to satisfy the government regulations in these cases, it is necessary to provide a handhold grip or the like.
A number of possible approaches have been proposed to meet the requirement of providing a "handhold grip" or "rail". One such proposal was to provide a handhold grip or a rail that was attached to the overhead stowage bins. Unfortunately, this proposal was unacceptable because placement of the grip or rail would be at this height would render it unreachable by certain shorter members of the flying public.
Another possible approach would have been to provide a rail that was attached to the cabin floor and that extended along the cabin aisle. However, this approach also would have been unacceptable because it not only would have been aesthetically displeasing, in addition it would have added additional weight and cost to the airplane without providing any benefit other than compliance with the government regulations.
A number of approaches to dividing the passenger cabin of an airplane were disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,013 by Schneider et al and U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,358 by Franke.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device that satisfies the government regulations for passenger support in the absence of seat backs, that is aesthetically pleasing, and provides additional benefits beyond simply meeting the government regulations.